The Trading Deadline

February 5, 2001

As the March 13 trading deadline approaches we're hearing a lot of big names being thrown around. Hasek, Blake, Tkachuk, Fleury, Belfour, etc. From a Fantasy Hockey perspective these trades are really meaningless. A quality player will more than likely be a quality player on another team. His linemates may change, but his role likely won't. Look at Bill Guerin this season or Raymond Bourque last year. They never missed a beat. 

What affects Fantasy Hockey Leagues are the minor players that are involved in trades. These are either the young prospects on the other end of a potential blockbuster or just some guys involved in minor deals. 

Over the next few weeks we'll be discussing these players and what potential trades can do to their Fantasy production - this year and in the future. We will group them by team. This week, we'll start with the Cup favourites - St. Louis, New Jersey and Colorado. 

1. St. Louis Blues: Johan Hecht, Marty Reasoner, Ladislav Nagy, Todd Reirden, Daniel Corso and Brent Johnson - Hecht and Nagy have been discussed at length in deals involving Teemu Selanne and Keith Tkachuk. They would fit into both the Coyotes and Ducks cost cutting moves and would add significant depth to both teams. That said, Hecht's production would likely slip as the Ducks would probably have him on the 2nd line with Titov and McInnis. As for Nagy, this would be his chance to shine. Neither Phoenix or Anaheim are particularly deep and the talented European would be able to get some much needed playing time. With injuries to Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger, it's possible that the Blues could go after some blueline help. While the Kings' Rob Blake may come at too high a price, other d-men like Eric Weinrich, Patrice Brisebois, Robert Svehla, Lyle Odelein, Boris Mironov or Kenny Jonsson may be available. The price would likely be high but players like Reasoner, Corso and Nagy are attractive commodites. As well, don't forget young backliners like Todd Reirden could be had - for a price.  
   
   Update (Feb. 9): The Blues picked up veteran winger Scott Mellanby for a minor prospect and a draft pick. This would seem to indicate that the Blues believe they have enough production up front. If there are going to be any changes then it will likely come on the blueline. 
   

2. New Jersey: Willie Mitchell, Mike Commodore, Sasha Goc, Steve Kelly and Ed Ward - The problem with the Devils is that they don't have too much depth. If they're going to be active in the Rob Blake derby they're going to need to dip into their current roster - and they just don't want to do that. Look for the Devils to try and acquire a solid 6th d-man or possibly a roleplayer for the 4th line. Barring injuries the Devils are set to defend their crown. High on the Devils want list would be Eric Weinrich, Curtis Leschyshyn, Frantisec Kucera, or Bill Houlder. Contrary to earlier rumours, the Devils will NOT deal Scott Gomez for Rob Blake. There are two reasons for this. First of all, they aren't interested in moving a young star for a "rent-a-player" and second, they have no interest in disrupting team chemistry. After a slow start Gomez is coming on strong and he and Alex Mogilny seem like an unstoppable duo. The Devils may also be looking at role-players like Bill Lindsay or Claude Lapointe but would be reluctant to give up much more than draft picks for those two. 
   

3. Colorado Avalanche: Nolan Pratt, Dan Smith, Brad Larsen, Ville Niemenen, Dan Hinote - The Avs are blessed with a relatively deep organization and few holes to fill. In that regard don't look for any blockbusters here. It would seem unlikely that Hinote or Pratt would be moved. While they aren't key components to the Avs success they are still young and can learn from the veterans. That said, if Colorado had a shot at a solid two-way winger who could fill in for on the 2nd line during injuries and anchor the 3rd line with Stephane Yelle, they would have to consider moving anybody on the list. Who would this player be? The type of player that comes to mind is Adam Graves, Scott Mellanby or Trevor Linden. Both players have struggled the last couple of years, but in the right circumstances they could flourish. In order to have a shot at Graves, Rangers GM Glen Sather would have to admit that the Rangers, once again, will miss the playoffs.